Preface: Practices of Islamic State, also known as ISIS, against thousands of civilians in Markadah town in south of al-Hasakeh were varied from seizing their shops and possessions and forcing them to leave their town, through arresting dozens of youths and men of the town in order to exploit them in digging, and forced recruitment /duty of jihad[1]/ on many young men of the town, even those under 18, or those who have a postponement of the compulsory service in accordance with ISIS regulations, as many youths of Markadah confirmed to Syrians for Truth and Justice reporter in September 2017.
As Syrian government forces and SDF advanced towards ISIS-controlled areas (such as Deir ez-Zur and Palmyra) in 2016, the organization took hundreds of young people, including those who are under 18, after undergoing a nine-month training course, in order to compensate the human losses during its military operations against various parties and states.
First: Duty of jihad Rules and Joining Methods:
ISIS imposed on every young man over 18 a duty to carry weapons through visiting the office of Jihad”Diwan al-jihad[2]”, which is a part of its state's institutions, in its controlled areas in Syria and Iraq, and then obtain the so-called" Jihad Booklet " which contains man’s name, photo and his date of birth, in addition to his blood type and six papers for admission or postponement, with the reasons. As well as two additional papers, one for demobilization with the date, and the other for reserve duty in case it needed, according to the testimonies of many young men fleeing the grip of ISIS.
Jihad Booklet is an official document shows the military situation of every young is over the age of 18. Many young postponed service either for health reasons, or because a family member joins one of ISIS’ military institutions. The postponed young man may also be an employee within ISIS institutions, with the condition that one of his family members has already joined the organization militarily.
Second: Acting against ISIS Regulations in Markadah:
Since the beginning of 2016, ISIS endured losses in various fighting fronts, whether in Raqqa or even Deir ez-Zur, to the Syrian-Iraqi border. That matter pushed the organization to put aside its laws, which it adopted in an earlier period over a period of time, and took youth of Markadah for military service, even if they are under the age of 18. However, according to many sources, that is a result of the heavy losses during military operations with other parties.
Muhammad. X an alias of a young man, from Markadah, 19, managed to escape from ISIS in late August 2016, after he knew that the organization intended taking him for military service, he resorted to one of his relative’s house in Ash Shadadi, in this regard he spoke to STJ reporter:
"I obtained Jihad booklet at the age of eighteen, but I was postponed as my father was working as a blacksmith in one of the military divisions of the organization, located on the border of Markadah and Ash Shadadi. My postponement was valid until my father returned home. According to the organization regulations, this postponement enabled me to move freely within the boundaries of Markadah for more than a year. Then I started working with a relative in the town market, and my father was visiting us at weekends, but after SDF caused many casualties to ISIS, especially following controlling many areas between Ash Shadadi and Markadah like Shamsani, Sharqiyah and Qutba, in February 2016 the organization arrested everyone able to carry weapons, even those under 18."
Muhammad added that organization agents came to his workplace several times at the beginning of May 2016, in order to arrest him and take him to serve in their ranks. He explained that they were not able to arrest him, since his work was often out. Muhammad had to hid in a village east of Markadah, he stayed with one of his relatives claiming sickness, meanwhile, Muhammad's father visited "Diwan al-Jihad/Jihad office" in the town, they told him the necessity to come Muhammad to the office himself. In the second visit Muhammad's father showed officers his son's jihad booklet, but they pulled it and torn it up, asserting that his son had to join jihad duty to help them fight the infidels/ Kufar, he continued:
"On August 21, 2016, a relative smuggled me to a village east of Markadah, several days later I was taken out of that town, specifically to the border of Ash Shadadi, under the control of SDF. My cousin paid 250 thousand Syrian pounds for smuggling me, while my father told the organization agents that I had fled towards a village in the west to distract them. However, I knew from the letters I received from my father through a broker, that I had to get out of ISIS border, and my father will follow me later, but it seems that he was unable because of his bad health status."
In accordance with ISIS rules, concerning jihad duty, all young men have the right to postpone the service, in case a relative is performing the duty of jihad, as the former is considered postponed until the last ended jihad's duty. He will be taken to serve in the ranks of the organization, only one month after his relative service finishes that is confirmed by Khalil. X) an alias of a young man from Markadah, over 19 years. As ISIS agents stormed his family's house in the town on June 1, 2017 to take him to jihad duty, knowing that he was postponed from service, as his brother was serving in one of the organization’s military institutions, in this regard, Khalil spoke to STJ saying:
"ISIS agents stormed our house along with a patrol of Hisbah office, luckily I was not at home, and they kept searching for me inside the house, without explaining reasons to my mother and sister. Next day my father went to Hisbah office inquiring the reasons, he learned from one of his close sources in the office, that it was for the duty of jihad and I had to be hidden, otherwise I would be arrested and taken to the service, although they knew that my brother was serving in a military institute of the organization, and postponement is my right. Moreover, we learned later, through a source, that organization agents are arresting all young men at 18 or less, for the duty of jihad, and that the organization is now applying a policy that either protect your homeland or leave it. "
Khalil hid in the house of a relative, and when his brother visited this family on June10, 2017, for three days, his father had agreement with one of the smugglers within the town, to take the whole family out through the eastern border of Markadah, for 750 thousand Syrian pound, on June 13, 2017, they succeeded in reaching the first checkpoint runs by SDF on the border of Ash Shadadi and Markadah, after three hours of walking, as he said.
This report is the third and last report in a series of reports, in which STJ sheds light on a side of the suffering of Markadah town, administratively follows al-Hasakeh province, and locates in its south.
The first report was about ISIS bad practices like the seizure of locals’ houses, property and shops to get them out of the town, and the second report was about arresting youth and men to use them in digging ditches and in guarding areas under its control.
[1]The "Duty of jihad" was initially related more to the issue of "calling for jihad", but since the beginning of August 2017, after announcement of opening of "the Call up Office” the duty of Jihad includes forced recruitment for those over 18 years of age and all who can carry weapons. This wasn’t declared by ISIS at the beginning of its formation because lack of confidence in the locals and the adequate number of volunteers.
[2] It is one of the military institutions affiliated with ISIS, looking for young people who failed to perform compulsory service in the organization after reaching the age eighteen, he also oversees the consideration of young people who have postponed themselves on many reasons , including being his parents lonely son, breadwinners or disabled or has chronic infectious ill.